


Living

by fannishliss



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-14
Updated: 2013-10-14
Packaged: 2017-12-28 18:00:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/994872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fannishliss/pseuds/fannishliss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haley Collins from 1.2 Wendigo</p>
            </blockquote>





	Living

Haley Collins considered herself to be a strong, no-nonsense person.  When her parents died, she was already an adult, as far as she was concerned; truthfully, she was 20, a college sophomore with two little brothers in high school. Their parents had left them a house and a generous life insurance package, so she didn’t need to worry about making ends meet, but Haley tried to be conservative and deliberate. She finished her degree in library science and got a decent job right away. She always tried to think things through, listing and weighing out all the options, to make the right decision and stick by it.

Haley was honest enough to admit that when a legendary creature strings you up, planning to eat you alive, it might very well change your outlook on life.

One Saturday, Haley walked into a gun store and bought a Colt 1911 with a pearl inlaid grip.  She went that afternoon to a firing range, where she shot through two boxes of ammo. Her hand and arm were shaky from the recoil afterwards, but it was a good feeling, a skill she hadn’t had before, and she took the gun apart on her own kitchen table at home, cleaned and oiled and reassembled it.   

Not long after, she signed up for a self-defense course at the gym, then started going regularly to a kick-boxing class.  She switched from the women’s aerobics class to the class, mostly men, with sparring.  She was littler than the men, but agile, and strong.  She did pretty well.

She took to running early in the morning, before Ben left for school.  She worked her way up to a daily five mile run. 

It wasn’t that she had anything in mind she was training for.  Just, she had been taunted, and chased, and captured, and she’d had to rely on better trained men to save her and her brothers.  Next time, she wanted to be able to do the saving herself-- God forbid there be a next time.

On quiet afternoons at the reference desk, she turned the pages of books on American folklore, Native beliefs, and bizarre stories compiled from the _Fortean Times_.  Not really preparing, just her interest had been kindled.  Now, she knew what was out there.

Spring came, and with it Ben’s graduation from high school. Tommy was a junior, going strong with his computer Science degree, and Ben wanted to follow in his footsteps. Ben needed a car, and Haley thought he should take the Corolla, which meant that she needed to start keeping her eyes and ears open.

It wasn’t that she was trying to remake herself in anyone else’s image; just, there was something larger than life about that particular car.  It was louder and more powerful than it really needed to be—and fast.  And so very sleek.  It was a car, that when you owned it, you really owned something.

Perseverance paid off, and she found it.   A steal for $6500. Needed a little work, so be it. Haley was getting good with her hands.

Tommy came along for the four hour drive over to Denver.  They pulled in to the little used car lot, and there she was: 1967 Chevy Impala, forest green, good condition.  Rust free body, original upholstery (a tear here and there, but nothing she couldn’t fix up). Haley had read up online, located where to go for parts and replacements. 

Haley wasn’t planning to run wild or go out on a mission. But this car represented something.  It was big, inside and out, solid, well-made.  As things went wrong with it, Haley would upgrade, and bit by bit, she’d learn it all the way through.  This car was an investment  -- not just a classy historic car, it was a way of sinking in, of living deeper than she had before. 

Tommy drove home in the Corolla while Haley signed the papers. 

She slid behind the wheel and turned the key.  The engine loudly announced that it needed a little work, and it made Haley grin.  That was no less than she’d bargained for.

She revved the car up to a rumble and pulled out.  It wasn’t like she was the Winchesters -- she didn’t plan on living in the car.  But then again, that was exactly what she was planning on doing. Really living.


End file.
